My daughter Lilith has been taking classes since she was 2 years old and we've had such a great experience since. But no one compares to Teacher Ceci P. Teacher Ceci is an amazing teacher who genuinely cares for the success of her students. We highly recommend Teacher Ceci. She is a one-of-a-kind teacher who brings patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm to every lesson. Her ability to connect with students and build their confidence in the water makes learning both fun and effective. She truly cares about her students' progress and creates a positive, supportive environment for everyone. My daughter recently earned her red ribbon, and we plan on continuing to follow Teacher Ceci. She has been an incredible instructor who inspires confidence, discipline, and a love for swimming. Her dedication and positive approach make her truly stand out, and we are grateful for the impact she has had on our daughter's progress. read more

We absolutely love being part of the La Petite Baleen family, especially because of amazing teachers like Chloe W. After my son took a year off and returned, she was incredibly supportive, patient, and encouraging, which made such a big difference for him and helped him feel comfortable and confident again. When he finished Level 2, he was so excited, but also a little sad thinking he might not have the same teacher anymore. Luckily, Teacher Chloe had another class for him, and he was beyond happy and excited to continue learning with her. He truly looks forward to every class, and whenever there's a substitute teacher, he gets a little disappointed because, as he always says, "I love Teacher Chloe." Thank you so much to the entire La Petite Baleen team and staff for creating such a positive and caring environment for the kids. We are so grateful for all the support, encouragement, and kindness you give them every day. read more

Melanie been an amazing swim instructor for our daughter over the past two years. The progress in her skills and confidence has been incredible--and most importantly, she genuinely looks forward to every lesson. Melanie has a great way of connecting with kids while still pushing them to improve. We feel very lucky to have her as our swim instructor and highly recommend her and Le Petit Baleen read more

Andrew has been such an amazing swim teacher for my daughter. He's super patient, encouraging, and makes every lesson fun, which really helped her build confidence in the water. We've seen so much improvement, and she actually looks forward to her lessons now. It's clear he really cares about his students and their progress. So grateful we found him--highly recommend! read more

We've had an incredible experience with La Petite Baleen. All three of our daughters have gone through the program, and the results speak for themselves. Each of them is now a safe, confident swimmer, which gives us real peace of mind. A special thank you to Sam at the Half Moon Bay location. Sam played a huge role in helping our youngest earn her gold ribbon. The patience, encouragement, and ability to build confidence made a big difference. read more

Let me start out by saying my kids went through this swim school many years ago taught by John, now my grandkids go here!! I love it, they follow a definite pattern in how they teach & progress students. While all teachers are good there are some standouts, the biggest one for me is Cindy, she goes above & beyond for the school itself but more importantly the families, not only in her teaching in the pool but in the background/office work of making sure the child is having fun, progressing & it's a fit. I would recommend her as your first choice for teacher always, your child will not only learn to swim at the highest level, but will have confidence & a friend for life in Cindy. read more

I like this swim place. It's really nice. I enjoy swimming here. They do a really good job and there's lots of prizes and you get a ribbon and theres stamps after you're done swimming. Cliff (6) read more

Our kids have had great experiences learning to swim at LPB HMB. My son had a lot of fun with teacher Tomas; I appreciate how he treats each kid as an individual and helps make them feel comfortable and confident in the water. The front desk staff are also very welcoming and helpful! read more

My children have been fortunate to have their swimming lessons by teachers Chelsea and Tomas and they have both been AMAZING! Their energy, patience and guidance definitely make a great impact with the kiddos they teach. My kids' consistent success in the water is much thanks to them. Highly recommend either one of these amazing teachers for children of any age. Thank you LPB-HMB! read more

Maria really helps my shy 6 year old feel confident and ready to try new skills. She is encouraging, positive, and explains techniques in a way that is easy to understand. read more

My daughter is in Levels 1/2 with Teacher Abbey and we've had a great experience! She's very patient, friendly, and good with the kids. She makes the class fun while still helping them learn and feel more comfortable in the water. Definitely appreciate her positive energy and teaching style! read more

I could not imagine a more intimate and welcoming place for my daughters to learn how to swim. Both have been in swim class here since they were 2-3 months old and 3.5 years later we still love it just the same! Teachers Cindy, Heather, and Maria give the upmost care to all of their students. Extra kudos for the water slide! read more

2/24 the school terminated our classes based on me complaining and insisting on higher standards and services that we paid for. My daughter's injury that was documented and acknowledged by the staff of the school started off an unfortunate chain of events, resulting the school just dropping us. Way to go customer service! read more

La Petite Baleen - 4:07... no workshop in sight - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

Incredible staff and teachers in a sweet location. We've been going here for years and have seen so much progress. Makes swimming fun !

We LOVE La Petite Baleen HMB! It is a lovely gentle environment for kids to learn how to swim in a non-threatening atmosphere with the most angelic teachers you will ever meet. We commute 25 mins to this location because it is hands down the best. We have had nearly every teacher at some point over the 4 years we have been coming and have never had a bad experience. Enroll today! read more

Many of my friends learned to swim here and so have my two daughters. The process the use is very effective, and I am very passionate about water safety and children. They have a blast learning along the way, I was an employee of La petite and generally had a very positive experience. Yes it's expensive but they pay their employees well and provide benefits. The teachers are very passionate and engaging with the kids and the process runs like clockwork. My biggest gripe, and it's a big one, is no more family swim. With the lack of available pools it's hard to find a place to practice skills and it's a great way to bond with the kids. Please lpb bring back family swim, it would very much help justify your raising cost! read more

Some good instructors but some dangerous and seemingly untrained with the smaller children. Caution.

If you want your child to learn to swim in a fun and child centered way, this is the swim school for you! We have two very skilled and personable teachers. Our three year old has a special bond with her teacher - and our 17 month old just started at this swim school. Her teacher is extremely patient and knowledgeable. The children in her toddler class are already soooo comfortable in the water and I'm blown away by the skills they have already. when you see the children swimming- smiling and making progress- you know they are doing something right at this school! Also I feel comfortable with their covid protocols - and we continue to swim. read more

La Petite Baleen - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

We love La Petite in Half Moon Bay! For all of our kids over many years we have requested teacher Cindy. She is by far one of the best teachers there. She is friendly and playful with her students but stern enough where she keeps them focused! I always feel like my kids are very safe with her in the pool and each one has loved her so much! She is patient and kind and uses techniques that a lot of the other teachers don't! Even my daughter who hated (and I mean HATED) water, soon learned to enjoy swimming because of Cindy! If you choose this swim school, ask for her! This woman deserves a raise, she is a kid whisperer when it comes to the pool!! read more

Gamechanger for Our 4yo. We started going to LPB in HMB 6 weeks ago and in that short timeframe our 4yo son has gone from water tentative to water safe and totally in love with swimming. He has had a rotation of different teachers and ALL have been exceptional at managing the lessons and the group of 4yo boys. There are never more than 4 in any lesson and 30 minutes is ample time for everyone to get in the practice they need as well as practice taking turns, having good listening and controlling their bodies in the water. He would go every day if we let him and he has progressed so rapidly we are thrilled esp given how he regressed during the pandemic and was starting to develop a fear of swimming. Our son also loves playing in the little front park with the kids form his class post lesson. Our 7yo daughter also goes and is already on Level 4. She loves learning stroke development as well as diving. She enjoys all of the teachers and challenges she's had thus far. And finally, scheduling has been a breeze which was a huge challenge for us at other schools in the past. LPB helps us find lessons that work with our schedule and there are many choices to choose from. The HMB team could not be more nice, professional or thoughtful. They are all on their game. read more

The swim instructors here are awesome, especially Todd! As all with LPB schools it's the pool is always warm and the facility is always pristine. The variety of water toys always keep our son active. I have no idea what we'll do when he graduates! read more

La Petite Baleen - Friday night, family night :) - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

My 7 y/o son has been going here for the past 6 months and I'm amazed how much he has learned. The swim instructors are focused, knowledgeable and committed to teaching the kids how to swim. He gets a full 28 minutes in the water and the average class size is 3-4. He's learned 3 times as much here than at the YMCA or any other swim lessons. The only problem is that once he gets a bit older, he has to go somewhere else. read more

Cute house with a swim pool inside. The party area is small. There is a slide. Changing area is also small. There is a parking lot and play structure in the front. read more

La Petite Baleen - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

I took my son to swim lessons for babies, and he really enjoyed it! Warm water, great stuff. My only concerns would be - tiny locker room and sometimes might be no parking available, but there is tons street parking. read more

I took my son here for swim lessons, which he thoroughly enjoyed. The instructor was kind, cheery and attentive with all the little babies in the class which I loved. I had to stop taking my son due to timing. We we were scheduled for a weekend class in the middle of the afternoon, which started to prove to be hard to attend. So I decided to call and discontinue our enrollment for the time being, until a more suitable time became available. This is where the issue began...I have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get through to someone on the phone to cancel. I've left multiple messages, all unreturned. I've sat on hold for 30-45min at a time on numerous occasions wondering what could possibly cause a swim school to constantly have such long waits. At this point I'm fully convinced no one is sitting at a desk to even pick up. This seems to be a regular pattern of beyond poor customer service on the business side of things. On a separate occasion prior to deciding to cancel I had tried to call their office to let them know my son would not be attending class due to illness, and that I'd like a call back to reschedule the session. Interestingly enough, I never received a phone call back but I did receive a call when they needed payment for tuition. They had switched systems for scheduling / payment so my saved credit card did not transfer over so they were eager to get me on the phone to update payment. I had mentioned to the woman on the phone that I'd called and left a message regarding my son not being able to attend and had yet to receive a call back for that, and that I had actually thought that it was the nature of the phone call I was receiving from her originally. She apologized and let me know that they're currently backed up due to the scheduling / payment system switch, but that its not a common occurrence for them to not return calls otherwise. At that point in time I was forgiving and understanding, but that quickly vanished when I realized that it is in fact a common occurrence that is basically ingrained in their business practice. To date, I have yet to receive a returned call. I had to resort to calling my credit card company (spending even more time on the phone) and letting them know that the payments being taken from my account were unauthorized and therefore fraudulent -- which in all honestly is entirely true. Their actual swim program is great, but if they keep up the business side like this then they are going to end up with more unhappy, disgruntled former patrons. At this point what I intended to have be a break from swimming for my infant son at this establishment might turn into a full blown break up, and joining classes at another swim school that has better customer service practices. read more

I have a baby and a toddler. My impressions of La Petite were great. I love the small classes. Everyone is friendly. And everyone is very patient and encouraging with my 18 month old yelling. I think he has made great strides with the whole swim thing. My toddler, however, not so much. He really hates to put his head underwater. The teachers are very patient with him, but I think it is going to take a long time to get him comfortable in the water. Will just have to wait and see if La Petite is as good as people tell me. Will they have the patience to teach him how to swim? My only qualm is that I wanted to change classes to another day but since there is no posting of available classes, I have to ask every week if there is availability. I tried out the online chat system, and after 3 unsuccessful attempts (on 3 different days), I finally got through. Once in contact with someone, the service is great! It is just getting there that was a bit frustrating. Nonetheless, I have been very impressed with La Petite thus far. And would recommend them wholeheartedly. read more

We have been taking our son now 5 here for 2 years and have been really happy with the program there. I love the techinque they use to teach the children; and that there is a deck supervisor there to step in if a child in one of the classes cries during the lesson so that teacher can continue to focus on the other 3 student in the class. I also love that they have a ribbon system to reward the children when they learn a new skill level. My son really likes the end of the class when he gets to go down the water slide. Highly recommend! read more

We Love this place. It is very personal and the staff is very friendly. My child is 4 and was able to start swimming with fins but on her own during the third lesson. I was amazed. The classes are a lot of fun too and the water is pleasantly warm. The only complaints I have is 9 or so year old naked boys in the Lady's changing room. Please put a sign up! Little girls have nightmares after seeing this. The boys are big enough to give themselves a shower! read more

Get in, get them swimming and get out. This is definitely the best place for a child to learn confidence in the water, how to hold breath properly and how to swim. The instructors are great, the HMB location is cute. But once your child is swimming, move to another school. The ribbon system here sadly ends up making your child a pawn in a game of "make more money". We don't want the ribbon - we just want to move to level 3 so she can be a better swimmer. From the weaker swimmers in the class holding back class activities for all, to instructors not pushing the children to work on endurance but instead doing the same thing over and over again - that has no bearing on these "ribbons", to having a substitute teacher who in one class said two unrelated children were ribbon ready and would leave a note - but over a month later the regular teacher clearly has no desire to 'ribbon' them; to always having to talk to the teacher and say "this is what child needs to work on today" (just to get her to do the full length of the pool instead of half) and to speaking with the director about our thoughts only to have them not communicated....not even that it was our last class... to the instructor. Who once again said "Next week we will try again" "No as I told you all this is our last class." My child can swim thanks to La Petite Baleen. She LOVES the water. And now she also knows not to take other people's judging her to have any value. I really want my child to stay naturally competitive - but after week 6 of doing everything on the ribbon chart and still not getting it - she said "I know I got the ribbon, the teacher is wrong, I don't want a ribbon and I don't want to come anymore to this place." Bittersweet. read more

Just started here with my 2 year old. He is having a great time. The instructor really got down to business right away, which I appreciate. Wish the lessons were 15 minutes longer. read more

I went to La Petite Baleen Swim School in HMB for an Aquapole class by Sabrina. I had an awesome workout in the water, although I don't know how to swim! Sabrina is attentive, enthusiastic, and effectively teaches this aquapole exercise in a fun and easy matter! The water is 90 degrees, warm and clean. I can feel my muscles tighten up and feel happy to try out! Thank you so much Sabrina! Will come back again soon. I highly recommend this class to everybody! read more

5 stars for excellent customer service. My 4 year old has only had 2 lessons so I can't yet attest to his development with swimming, but the staff are incredibly kind and helpful. On his first lesson, the second my son walked into the pool area, he LOST IT. I'm talking screaming, crying, protesting. I had to basically drag him in there. I thought we would be asked to leave for fear that he was upsetting the children. But Heather assured us this was totally normal and the best thing we could do was just get him started with his lesson. Laura took my son into the pool, and it was recommended that I hide out in the office area to watch him, so that he wouldn't see me and lose it again. Laura was great with my son and had a very calming effect on him. As soon as he got into the water he was totally fine. I returned for his second lesson today, this time with my toddler in tow. 2 kids against 1 parent: I was outnumbered. And I was anxious about getting my son into the pool while he was upset. But again, it was Heather to the rescue. I waited in the office area while she took my son back to Laura for his lesson. The staff here have relieved so much of my anxiety and it is because of their warm, supportive, and non-judgmental atmosphere that I will keep coming back. read more

We started at La Petite Baleen when my daughter was 9 month old. She is now almost two and a half and she LOVES to swim! She is so comfortable in the water and recently on vacation we had people ask us how she got to be such a little water baby! We choose La Petite Baleen because my sister-in-law took her kids there and loved it. I soon found out why - the water is really warm which is great for young kids, the teachers are so nice and very knowledgeable, and the rest of the staff is great too. I really love this swim school and recommend it to everyone! read more

Not only did Iearn to swim with owners Irene and John, many years ago, but my daughter has been enrolled for a year and we love every class! Her teacher (Kevin) is sensitive to all his students needs and she so looks forward to swim night every week! She's formed friendships with a couple of her classmates that I think will be lasting! read more

We've only been to a few classes here to date but I want to echo what a great experience this is. Our daughter's water confidence is growing and she's looking forward to getting her next ribbon. The teachers are fabulous, friendly and fun and the kids can sense this and love it. The pool isn't the biggest and there can be 3 classes going on at the same time but as class sizes are limited it seems to work. Occasionally you do find a wayward older swimmer heading towards the toddlers but they are soon redirected by the coach. It's more of an issue for the adult spectators sitting on the benches down the side of the pool since these are often splashed by the bigger kids diving and learning butterfly strokes. I'm impressed with what they're teaching the older kids regarding stroke technique. Additionally the changing room isn't huge and since everyone changes class on the hour or half hour there can be a line for the three showers but the heat lamp on the ceiling keeps the kids waiting from getting too cold. It's not the cheapest (about $80 per month for a weekly 30 minute session) and you don't get to make up missed classes but so far I have no complaints and neither does my daughter. read more

Today was my second Baby and Me class, with my 5 months old. And I got to tell you. It was great, the instructors are super accomodating, even if we came in nearly 15minutes late into a 30 minute class, they let us join another class, and also gave me pointers how best to hold her to help her swim. The atmosphere is great, the pool is small, which is perfect for a small class of 5 other parents. The water is clear and really warm. The dressing rooms, have spacious comfortable changing tables, and the heating lamp up in the ceiling helps with keeping your child warm, while you change them from swim to street clothes. Right now they have a promo, free "baby-and-me" class, untill the baby turns 6months. You should try them read more

I started my 3 year old here in May. She had exposure before to the pool and did great with floaties, but had never been taught to swim without. The first few lessons involved tears, but her instructor (Rachel) was helpful and distracted her so she could keep trying to learn. The progress stickers my daughter receives really encourages her to keep trying. She is now in level 2 and is having a great time. Her teacher, Lexi, really makes an effort to teach my daughter how to do certain milestones (head under water for 5 seconds, etc) each week. Overall, the teachers are great and very helpful. The only downfall is how hot and humid it gets in there, but that's because they keep the pool nice and comfortable. read more

We have been bringing our son and daughter here for over 5 years (son) and 3 years (daughter). The instructors are caring, attentive and well trained. We have had quite a few teach our kids, and I have had no major complaints about any of them. I have given a 4 star review mostly because of the length of time it takes to graduate a child from here-5 years. The cost is very high at nearly $100 a month times 60 months, and you are at $6000. My second gripe is about this facility in particular and the Men's restroom-it is much much smaller than the Women's restroom. The women's has three showers, a large changing area, and multiple stalls. The men's has one shower, no changing area, and one stall. As a dad who has brought both my kids in this bathroom, I can attest to it being a nightmare after a class with 5-10 dads waiting to get their kid in the shower, let alone find a place to change them into clothes. It may sound like a small thing, but I got to the point of not showering my son, and keeping him in his wet trunks to avoid the 20 minute hassle. Lastly, after one does graduate, they encourage you to bring you child to the Advanced class in San Bruno, where my 7 year old son just started. Where there might be some joy in the learning at HMB, it is all business at the San Bruno class, and I am now wondering why I am taking him here at all. read more

We started taking our twins here when they were 18 months old. They really enjoy their lessons and are excited to go each week. Our instructor, Joel, is gentle and very good with young children. I really appreciate that he is able to give individual instruction to each baby while maintaining the group setting. The method of instruction is fun and game/song-based, so our children know what to expect next. Warm pool, clean facilities, great instructors, great management, and great method/technique. Highly recommend. read more

This school is descent but they really take their time with your child so be aware that this is not only a long time commitment but financial investment as well. Both my kids came to the school with swimming experience and after 19 months they are still one to two ribbons away from "the gold." When I asked if things will move faster along the next coming weeks, one of the staff member said, "well they just go their last ribbon so it will take some time." I'm still confused by that as it seems that there shouldn't be a time cap on progress based on milestones. Overall, I think the classes should be longer. You also need to stay on your instructor as even though your child might progress and ready for the next ribbon, the instructor will take their time to get them there because they are juggling other kids in the same group at the same time and not always aware of which ribbon they are working on. read more